Mike ‘Old boy’ Surridge, is a true legend of our club, a former player, a pupil of Henry Thornton school in Clapham (Where our club name comes from), a current committee member and a staunch supporter of Old Thorntonians FC.
You can usually see Mike on the side-lines of one of our home games every Saturday, wind, rain or shine in his flat cap, cheering on the boys.
Mike has organised donations of trophies, wall plaques and kit and usually comes to all our big social events, including the booze ups!
His passion and love of the club is an inspiration to us and we hope it rubs off on you too.
You can see some of Mikes old team photo’s up on the walls of our clubhouse and check out his ‘match-worn’ yellow kit that we had framed on the wall too.
A proper Old Thorn.
Good on you Mike!
Mike Surridge
Richard Lundie
Einstein, Darwin and Hawking were all great thinkers of their time. But none of those mugs ever kicked a ball for Old Thorntonians. On that fact alone they will never enter our Hall of Fame. There is, however, one visionary who, as of today, will join the great Onions of the past by achieving this feat.
Richard Lundie, an intellectual free spirit and ‘outside of the box’ thinker has, for years, been the driving force behind all the best things that the club do. Crystal Palace and Spurs days, training with Julian Dicks and the Berlin tour are just a few examples of his brilliance in the field of football/social innovation.
Richard is unburdened by the simple details that could hold a lesser man back. Questions such as ‘Can we afford this?, ‘how will we get there?’ and ‘have I spelt his name right?’ never enter his mind. Richard is the man that makes playing for this club different and is a major part of why we are the best amateur club in the land.
Despite his handicap, dog walking and babysitting responsibilities Richard continues to play a leading role for the club and is already on top of the 2014 tour as well as a few other surprises. It’s because of his tireless enthusiasm that we welcome him into the hall of fame as well as re-naming the Clubman of the Year award – ‘The Richard Lundie Award’.
Congratulations and thank you, Richard
For a guy who didn’t take up football until his early 50s Osric “Tripod” Powell has made quite an impact on this football club (and Fish’s head). Chairman, goalscorer extraordinaire and the glue that bound the club together in the early days of La Révolution, he also found time to be an all-round good egg, preposterous claims to being the fastest Onion aside. His sharpness and eye for a goal were of immense benefit to the first and, in his even later years, the second team. Equally as importantly, his gigantic, err, round buying at any given club function had Onions flocking to him like the cheapskates they are, and partially made up for his point blank refusal to put his hand in the his pocket at any other time of year; “Mine’s a Guinness”, anyone?
But by far the most irritating aspect of his character, however, is the fact that every single person who has ever met him can’t help but like the guy. Seriously, try it. I like him. You like him. Your Mum likes him. Your Boss likes him. The guy who tried to bottle Leighton likes him. The long list of drunks who have tried to attack Joe Fletcher like him.
Oz started playing for the OTs before many of the current squad were born, and 13 years of service produced 104 goals and countless made up assists before the lovely Tania broke all of our hearts by whisking him off to Australia, where he plays for the Old Thorntonians Expat Geriatrics XI. Probably.
A representative panel of society were asked to describe Oz in one word. Top came “like a baby’s arm holding an apple” but that not being one word, “legend” was the de facto winner. The word “legend” is bandied about too often in modern society – Francis Jeffers; Peter Andre; Ronny Rosenthal; Silvio Berlusconi; Jason Dozzell; Jeremy Kyle. None of these ‘people’ (you, Kyle) can hold a candle to our very own legend in every single-possible-conceivable-other-worldly sense of the word, Osric Powell – the man the DVLA would only allow to drive if he had ‘OAP’ incorporated into his number plate. No Onion missed as often on the pitch, nor been missed as much off it.
Ozzy Powell
James ‘Foxy’ Rodriguez
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and elite performances in big games, from James Rodrigues.
Half human and half fox, James Rodriguez is a box of tricks and a bag of stats (or ‘probable’ stats since we don’t quite know for sure). He is probably the longest serving current player at the club; most likely the clubs all-time top scorer, and possibly the most fouled player. It is also the general consensus that this unorthodox attacking midfielder/striker has scored the most worldies and the most important goals in OTs recent history. Numerous volleys, several 45 yarders, and a load of last minute, title-winning goals, season after season… despite his old age, creaking body and receding hairline. It’s about time we cement the Foxy paw print into the OTs hall of fame.
Internet hearsay debates the origin of his nickname. Some sources inform us that his it was derived from his long-time crush on Sonic The Hedgehog’s mate Tails. Others explain that it was coined following the time he had to retrieve a ball from a family of foxes living in Richmond Park after he blazed a shot so high and far over the crossbar playing footy for Roehampton University 2.2 miles away (yes he scores some great goals but he also attempts a load and misses a lot). But legend says he stayed with the fox family for days and continues to visit them on a weekly basis. Apparently, the grass is greener and a lot stronger on this side of the fence. Foxy Rodriguez. Always amazing, and always blazing… (err shots over the bar)!
On game day when you see the squad-list, you often wonder who this James is. But when you realise it’s Foxy you can relax. However, when there is no mention of the man who I have seen score goals in a pair of Sports Direct Lonsdale trainers/slippers, panic can set in as the squad for that day becomes materially weaker. He is honestly that good. You want him on your team every Saturday, you want him on your five a side team each Thursday, your pool team on Tuesdays, your darts team on Mondays, and you don’t ever want to compete with him on the golf course on Sundays – he only has eyes for the green remember.
Almost elite in everything he does, Foxy has more ability than the rest of the Hall of Famers put together and is the guy we all look to, to pull something out of the bag when we need it most… But not on a night out, you’ll be wise to leave him at home as his chat with the ladies absolutely stinks. Bravo Foxy!
Boro joined the Onions way back in 2006/07 season. Playing for the 3’s, under fellow hall of fame inductee Nathan Gilligan, this parmo loving beanpole of a Teesider quickly endeared himself to everyone at the club with both his footballing ability and infectious personality.
Following a sabbatical travelling the globe, Boro returned to the Thorns fold in 2010 going straight into the first team, where he would reside for the best part of a decade, becoming captain and the true heartbeat of the team. Things you could guarantee from this canny lad on an almost weekly basis included turning up with no socks, goals and assists, scabby knees, marauding runs, puns, go-go gadget tackles, hilarious dressing room chat, header after header won and of course, plenty of yellow cards.
In the 2014/15 season, the 1’s won the Senior 1 Division Championship to reach the AFC Premier League, and in having an individually outstanding season Boro had truly cemented his place in the pantheon of Onion legends. One particular highlight from that year saw our talisman score a last minute 25-yard volley to win a game, which he later described as the second-best moment of his life, narrowly behind Fabrizio Ravenelli’s debut hattrick for Middlesbrough way back in the 90’s.
Producing as many all action displays as he did, the ensuing years saw injuries begin to take their toll which diminished his playing time. Nonetheless he would often play with knocks, representing every team in the club, and when the pain was too much to bear he’d still turn up on away days in the depths of outer London to support his beloved club.
Wanting to put his love for the club to more use, Boro took on various backroom roles within the club. He helped organize various socials and for a while he oversaw the laborious task of compiling (fiddling) the OTPI stats. But it was his work and commitment on the clubhouse bar secured him Clubman of the year in 2017. Boro spent much of his free time working on this project, often giving up weekends and evenings to head down to the REMPF to lend a hand. On one occasion he spent the evening lacquering the bar top in just his pants, so as not to dirty his work suit. An image which still haunts Chairman Scott to this day.
When he isn’t meditating or taking his kids to raves, Boro still occasionally turns out for the T’s and is often on the side-lines cheering us on, showing just how much the club still means to him. In turn, we hope that he knows just how much he means to everyone at the club, and what better way to show than inducting him into the Old Thorntonians Hall of Fame. Everyone here is eternally grateful for your commitment to the club over the past 16 years both on and off the pitch. Congratulations Boro!
Mark ‘Boro’ Rowntree
Richard “Scotty” Scott
Current chairman of the mighty OTs has been at the club since 2009, has led the club in the same vein as former predecessors in bringing almost unrivalled success to the club.
Known for his ‘can’t score tap-ins, only screamers’ mentality which also directly somehow relates to his corner taking, Scotty has played for every team in nearly every position. This versatility lends itself to his stewardship of the club where he has overseen the historic 2021-22 season of 5 promotions with 2 league wins.
In all roles Scotty has undertaken in the club his hard work and extraordinary dedication to the club has reaped its rewards and been an inspiration to all. When all are taking a break from football when the season is over Scotty is consistently plotting the route to success the following season. With the hangover of awards day still fresh Scotty will be writing adverts, planning campaigns and giving Morris sleepless nights by overspending the recruitment budget. Consistently year on year the strong recruitment campaigns have underpinned the success the club has had and Scotty is always at the heart of it. Without a doubt however his greatest attribute in official roles in the club is the ability to effectively chair committee meetings while absolutely plastered.
Playing wise Scotty’s mentality echos the ethos of the club, he is happy to play for any team and always gives 100%. This is however offset by steadfast refusal to pass to his teammates when he is in shooting range. Our historians have assured us Scotty has scored over 150 goals for the club. It could be more, record keeping was not a strong point when Scotty first joined the club. You can certainly bet he will be adding to that tally in years to come as he looks to reclaim his beloved top scorers trophy.
In an absolutely selfless act and in no way looking to increase his goals tally for the season, Scotty was responsible for the addition of the Vets team in 2019.
From Club Fixture Secretary to Chairman, from his love of Leeds United to his hatred of Manchester and his herculean journeys from Borehamwood (soon to be Bedford!) to the mighty REMPF, Scotty was earmarked for legendary status early in his ‘career’. He continues to be a legend and finally takes his worthy (about time too) place amongst the pantheon of OTs Legends! Cheers Scotty!
After many years of faithful service to Old Thorntonians as a Manager / Fixtures Secretary / Accountant / Social Secretary / Player and overall good egg. Nathan earns his place amongst OT’s folklore by being inducted into the OTFC Hall of Fame.
Everyone should know if they did not already, that if it wasn’t for Nathan’s enthusiasm and hard work, the club might not be here today.
Back in the day the club used to run 3 completely closed squads with each team rarely coming into contact with each other. The league got wind of what was happening and threatened to kick us out of the league unless we did something about it.
After a minor blip whereby Nath accidentally coped in the then League Secretary on an email that was definitely not intended for him (oops!). Nath set to work on a complete restructure of the club. It was this reorganisation that laid the foundations for the extremely strong position we find ourselves in today, with a growing and connected club.
Congratulations & thank you Nathan.
Nathan Gilligan
Chris Lang
Lang joined the mighty Onions around the time of its modern rebirth (basically when we got our own email address and thus able to trace things back) in approximately 2008.
A speedy winger, he has been terrorizing defenders up and down the Amateur Football Combination leagues for many years with bionic legs hidden beneath his iconic knee braces.
As a cornerstone of the 2s side that rapidly rose up the leagues in the early 2010s, he was key in the South 5 title winning side of 2009/10 and then won further promotions with the team finishing second in South 4 in 2010/11, second in South 2 in 2012/13, and second again in South 1 in 2014/15, before – that’s right, second again in Senior 3 South in 2016/17.
Lang turned his hand to management and assumed control of the 4s in 2017/18, guiding them to a promotion in his first season (only came 3rd that time) before finally again earning glory as champions of AFC South 2 in 2018/19 with a last day victory. He was also then the 4th team Player’s Player of the Year in 2019/20 in an impressive act of brown nosery by the squad.
He was deservedly promoted to 3s manager, and promptly finished second (obviously) in Senior 2 South but suffered the ignominy of demotion due to the 1st team’s relegation. Another hugely successful season followed though, guiding the 3s to promotion back to Senior 2 South with yet another (!) runner up finish.
As we come to the end of the 2022/23 season, Lang has decided to step down from managerial duties to spend more time with his family, AKA the Vets Team.
Always a man putting in as much dedication in the pub and Stu Halliday’s man cave as on the field, he is a true Club Legend in every sense.
Cheers Lang!
Christopher ‘Chrissy’ Weir has surpassed the majority when it comes to longevity and consistency as an OTs legend having started playing in 2006. Born in Chester, scholared in Durham and made in London, Chris established himself as the 1st team RB in his debut season and was named promptly named 1st Team Players Player of the Year for the 2006/07 season. He then became 1st Team captain after only a few seasons at the club.
His composure on the pitch was only matched by his stamina off it, frequently cycling miles to matches before playing 90 mins, having an ale and then cycling back home…. all without breaking a sweat! Chrissy’s versatility to play anywhere across the back line was fundamental in the 1s being crowned champions of Senior 1 in 2014/15 and promoted to the top tier of the Amateur Football Combination for the first time in over 50 years!
Not for standing on his laurels, Chris has been a prominent member of the Club Committee as Finance Treasurer for close to a decade. The financial acumen shown nearly rivals his signature ¾ spin out of trouble in his own penalty area before committing to a 90-yard overlapping run. Word in the OTs congregation is that he’s only ever scored one competitive goal for the Onions and yes….it was an angel’s delight.
Known for his faultless pre-match preparation, Chris would always turn up on time with his freshly cleaned (and dubbed) black Adidas World Cups, multiple studs (and keys) and a batch of tasty homemade cinnamon buns for the team.
Never one to complain, always the voice of reason, first one on the pitch, last one off it, Chris embodies all that an OTs Legend should be. Winner of multiple pre-season bleep tests, numerous player accolades and a couple of league titles on his resume, his induction into the Old Thorntonians Hall of Fame is completely deserved.
Cheers Chris
Chris Weir
Peter Walsh
Walshy joined Thorntonians as part of a merger with the London XI team in 2014. He brought with him a number of now club stalwarts, still going strong at the club. Pete took over as the new 6th team manager, and led the newly formed side to a famous cup victory over the 5s on penalties, in an brutal game.
He was promoted to 4th team manager in 15/16, and reached the LOB Minor Cup Final, but narrowly lost out to Alleyn Old Boys.
After a brief hiatus at local rivals Tenisonians, Walshy returned to the club as 1st Team Assistant Manager, and then took over the 1st Team from Deji. His time in charge has been hugely successful and seen the team rise to their highest ever league finish and points tally, coming 2nd in the AFC Premier Division in 2023/24 sandwiched between excellent 5th and 4th placed finishes.
There was a minor blip in 20/21, as he relegated three Thorns teams in one go by 1s going down (with four teams finishing just 2 points above us, and only 8 points behind 3rd) thus also pushing the 2s and 3s down a division. However he bounced straight back with promotion to the Prem in 2021/22, the 2s and 3s also promoted at the first time of asking.
He has though, unbelievably, yet to win a trophy for the Thorns but success is surely coming.
Never will you see anyone so dedicated, passionate and obsessed with amateur football.
He constantly strives for the club to be best it can possibly be and without question leads the way by example.
Not only managing the 1st Team, he is also club coach – taking training to new levels with the introduction of dedicated goalkeeper sessions, from which the club as enjoyed rich rewards.
He also runs the clubhouse and bar, and as is typical has taken it to levels of success we couldn’t even imagine when we moved to REMPF 11 years ago. The clubhouse bar is now a semi professional operation, as well as essentially serving as his work office including a state of the art dart board. Pete very much fancies himself as a handyman with a “drill now, ask questions later” mentality. He built storage cupboards in the changing rooms with his very own hands. His innovation stretches across many facets of the club, including implementing hugely improved selection and recruitment processes, allowing him to indulge in his surprising passion for Google Sheets.
Such is Pete’s endlessly selfless dedication to the cause, he was infamously was missed off an official club photo when he went to fetch footballs from the local storage facility so we could play a game after.
Pete is undoubtedly an absolute Club Legend, the Clubman of Clubmen. Clubman of the Century. His story is far from finished though, the future of the club is exciting and will only continue to stride forwards with him at the core. And he’s not allowed to leave until we’ve won the Prem. 3 times. In a row. And even then he’ll be given a new lifetime contract.
Cheers Walshy!!